United Airlines forced to land mid-flight when evacuation chute popped open

United Airlines was forced to land mid-flight when an evacuation slide popped open.

According to several reports, Flight 1463 took off from Chicago and was bound for California Sunday night but made a pit stop in Kansas due to the the surprise safety test. Fortunately no one was hurt.

The plane was carrying five crew members and 96 passengers who didn't pass up the chance to use their mobile devices during the incident to snap a few photos.

One passenger described the event to KCTV, saying, "They just had a panicked look and they took the carts and ran backwards to the front of the plane and then we all turned around and the whole back cabinet part of the plane where they sat was full of the chute."

Another told CNN, "I heard this pop. I turn around and the slide was open," passenger Michael Schroeder said.

And another: "All of a sudden you saw their faces go like this and you heard a big bang and a hiss."

The airlines says it is still trying to determine what caused the mishap.

Slides are apparently a tricky piece of equipment.

Last November the same thing happened during a JetBlue flight - and even then-Senator Barack Obama experienced a similar malfunction during the 2008 presidential race.

ouch. was a passenger on a flight from hawaii to japan in the early 60'shalf way across, was in a military transport plane propeller driven, when smoke was seencoming ffrom futherest engine on right side. eventually was extinguished. continued on our way with 3 engines. The remainder of trip not one sound from anyone. Absolutely frightening. when landed pilot came from cockpit everyone stood and cheered. phew roger

Another well written, punctuated, descriptive article by AOL. NOT. Who writes these articles? My 8 year old could do much better with his #2 pencil and lined paper... I learn more from the headline than the anything written afterwards..Arg!

Was this another case of outsourced aircraft maintenance?? Most people dont know that so much aircraft repair is outsourced to the lowest bidder. Much of it goes to third world countrys in South America or to Mexico or communist china. These repair stations do not have the oversight that has to be done in America. Non licenced, non english reading , speaking etc.